First of My Kind

First of My Kind #1

by Marc Stevens (Brand)

This is the story of Nathan Myers a Missouri Farm boy who through a chain of events that happens half way across the galaxy, finds his way from the seat of his grandfathers tractor to the command of a starship from a lost super race. Nathan will tell you in his own words about the life and death struggles he encounters on his journey. He will tell you about the humor, peril and pain of his galactic education. Even with the help of an eccentric A.I. and the most unlikely of allies, he still finds it easy to lose his humanity to the horrors and injustice of a galaxy no one could have possibly imagined.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Space, Aliens, Action, Military Fiction

682 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Marc Stevens is the pen name of a retired building contractor in central Missouri. Marc is a married father of two and an avid outdoorsman. His love of science fiction inspired him to start writing.

Reviews

[William Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to like it more

I’m probably being a bit hyper-critical.

First, it takes waaaaaay too long to get to the important part of the story. Chapters about farming and hunting and Missouri…nothing important happens in Missouri. Even the Alaska part dragged on pointlessly. The first 10% of the book did absolutely nothing to advance the plot that couldn’t have been accomplished in a paragraph or two *after* we got to the ship.

Then we finally get to the ship. Yay.

A lot of ‘tell’ and very little ‘show’, plus the dialogue is just flat. Obvious, maybe? Between the computer being pedantic (even after claiming it was going to use idiogrammatic American) and the MC over explaining every conversation and over acting, it becomes tedious.

There is potential for it to be fun and interesting. But I don’t know how much more I can read before moving on.

DNF (I’m going to try to keep reading, but it isn’t looking good)

[Alec Yao · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice beginning, unfortunately it went down hill soon after

Most books take a little time to set up and get the main story going. Most books also get better as the plot start to unfold. However, this is not most books. The best part of the book was the first few chapters when the protagonist was still just a 19 years old farm boy. It went from a man against wild adventure to a mind numbing and childish space fantasy. Everyone he encountered was so two dimensional that they served only as mouth pieces. The story was so straight forward and bland that I might as well be reading a play by play of a first person shooter game. Against the glowing reviews by the majority, I wondered if I read a different book.

[Brian Harber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhere things went wrong

The book started off with some really good character building, but at some point, the story stopped and action sequences took control. While I like action as much as the next person, it felt like the sequences were wordy at best and found myself skipping pages. And the way the plot threaded in some sort of prophecy complex that I felt took away from what had promise. Not sure if I'll pick up the second book if there is one.

[Brad · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is how I imagine a second draft would read. Or maybe a third.

There are a lot of typos. It switches tense all willy-nilly. The dialogue is awkward. The prose could use a good cleaning up. But it's a complete story, there aren't huge gaps, and I read through it all.

I can't recommend it as it is, but a few more passes could do it wonders.

(There were also a few tech issues that I couldn't make sense of, but I actively ignored those.)

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Juvenile

Main character is a Mary Sue. Everything is black and white. All the baddies are stupid. Main character isn't much better. Very simplistic. Gave up half way through.

[Michael Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Start to Archeology/Military Space Opera!

Marc Stevens has created a galaxy in which a Missouri farmer becomes a galactic Guardian, suppressing evil and corruption, with a small number of allies and a growing number of enemies. The concept is handled well in this book, but an editing program that does not know the difference between possessive contractions and plurals detracted from my enjoyment when I read this otherwise fine story.

RECCOMENDED

[Emma Arkstål]

DNF. It's sad when the AI in the book doesn't spark giddy joy while reading.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh My Grammar...

The story itself is fine. Boy meets ship. Ship gives boy technological edge. Boy meets aliens. Everything is awesome. It took a bit to get to space, but the opening chapters were still entertaining enough to keep me wanting to read. As another reviewer said, "Something about this story kept me reading long after i would have normally have been driven away by its atrocious butchery of the English language."

The grammar is really, truly, unbelievably, terrifyingly bad. Not knowing the correct usage of they're, their, or there, your or you're, its or it's, or, and I'm serious, Alfa vs Alpha (yeah, the MC is attacked by an "Alfa Wolf"). Also, most any punctuation is either missing or used improperly.

However, the story is there. It took me so long to make it through some of the middle chapters, but I like the story enough to suffer through. And yes, I was indeed suffering. Such bad grammar; and so many run-on sentences! This all comes back to the lack or incorrect use of punctuation. Missing apostrophes (normally for possessives), the obvious need for a semi-colon, and all the extra and incorrectly placed commas...

I normally only ding 1 or 2 stars for grammar, but this book would deserve only a single star thanks to the appalling state of its punctuation and word usage. I hate to keep harping on this, but it truly is that relevant. However, as stated, I like the story enough to give it that mandatory +1 stars to bring it up from the bottom of the scorecard because the story is, in my opinion, gripping. Once you make it past the multitude of grammar mistakes.

I think a new edition was released, which may have (hopefully) fixed some of the mistakes, in which case the book would score much better. As other people have pointed out, the dialogue is a tad cringe worthy at times, so this isn't a masterpiece, but it really could, and should, score better than 2 stars.

[Steven Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of my Kind starts very SLOWLY, almost tortuously slow to the point I nearly gave up. About the middle of the book it finally picks up pace. Some humorous moments and I like the blend of the crew sorta reminiscent of Firefly.

The MC love interest is different, but not Galaxy Quest or Capt. Kirk different. With the girlfriend getting the same bionic treatment as Nathan, I wonder if she will go in to zombie cyborg killer mode like Nathan does occasionally in this book.

I have a tip for the author: in the next book, I recommend trying to keep most of your paragraphs smaller. Page-filling paragraphs are best used very sparingly. Another reviewer pointed out references to the military branches so that I know I am not crazy. There are references to the different branches of the military. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Nathan's lack of grenades is inexcusable. Any force sent to clear a building prepping for CQB always takes a variety of grenades. Several thermobaric, HE, frag, and WP grenades employed by Nathan and his crew would have been quite effective against his enemies.

When dealing with grouped enemies in a confined space, such as the space stations that Nathan and crew fought on, a few hand grenades (or even better a multi-shot grenade launcher) would have been a very effective weapon.

I am waiting for Justice to go HAL 9000 on Nathan and crew. Perhaps Nathan’s lack of grenades is because of willful neglect on part of Justice. An AI as smart as Justice is supposed to be should have recognized the lack of grenades hurt Nathan’s combat effectiveness.

[Sherron Wahrheit · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the beginning, when the MC was still on earth. It was satisfying to see him face and overcome hardships like hunger, freezing cold, and being hunted by wolves in Alaska. But then when a spaceship saves him, the story started to go south. He quickly switches from acting like a joke-cracking airhead to acting like a brave and wise spaceship captain—but without any apparent growth or character development. I abandoned the book while he’s hiring mercenary soldiers and flinging cash around like it’s Monopoly money. I like shallow and silly sf but this one didn’t charm me.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's so hard to find sci-fi I like. When it's good, I love it. But at least 50% of the time, it's just infinite battle scenes like in this book. At least this book wasn't as sexist as some sci-fi is. However, I need more from the books I read, like unusual alien cultures that we struggle to understand and co-habit a planet with, or long space voyages that explore how well people deal with living in tight quarters far away from home, or prophecies on AI and medical advances that could help and hurt us , , , , Anyway, you won't find any of those things in this book.

[Beregond · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a Good Book in Here Somewhere

Maybe three of them. It needs to be restructured so that it is a series, and the Alaska part needs cut to the bone and used as a flashback AFTER we get some initial science fiction story. Heck, I like stories about life in Alaska and I almost ran out of patience before the alien ship showed up.

It's a good story, but it needs structural editing (including making two or three books from this one.)

[Melissa Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Started out kind of slow, but a little bit at a time built into a more complex story. I loved his alien crew that joined him a bit at a time although his infatuation of the four-armed alien chick was a bit too weird for me. By the end of the book I did not want the story to end. Not bad, not bad at all.

[Bruce Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Very good book

Mr. Stevens has given us a well written book with abreast plot that makes you keep turning the page to see what comes next. I can't wait to see his next book come out.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this at the start. Getting to know the main character and his life. Then it all seemed to go downhill once he met the AI. It was just nonsense really, one human’s mission to make sure mankind is at the top of all alien’s hit list. A shame as it had such potential

[Jed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitive, telling, with tense problems

I finished the book, but it was a close thing. Books after some a few problems. First, almost the entire story is telling instead of showing. If you’ve ever read a book that just grips you, you’re not at the author describes how someone feels what they see and what they smell in a situation. For example, the author might say Joe was scared which is telling. Or if they were trying to show, they can say Joe shark with fear and sweat dripped down his face. This book is all telling.

Next, the tense issues. The author regularly switches between past and present tense. He also uses is and are incorrectly a good number of times.

Regarding repetition, the main character runs into a few situations and every time it’s the same thing. The character acts like a incredibly violent and vicious person to get people to do what he wants. And every time the enemy acts like a complete idiot. Or, the main character just destroys them like they’re nothing. The violent and cruel nature of the main character also goes against how he’s supposed to be some heroic kind of figure who is righting the wrongs of the universe.

Next, this book is essentially two books. The first part of the book feels more like a survival wilderness adventure thing. The second part is a science-fiction military action novel. It’s incredibly disjointed and all of the relationships and characters from the first part of the book completely disappear. Earth has little to no relevance to the larger story even though you spent a significant amount of time there at the beginning.

[Tony Hinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating ignores two problems with this book. 1 - It bares a suspiciously close resemblance to the "Omega Force" books by Joshua Dalzelle. 2 - The grammar and vocabulary are weak, (I read the 2nd edition). If those things don't bother you too much then...

This novel seems aimed at young adults, in that it avoids overly dark or sexual themes and maintains a simple emotional pallet. However, like superhero comics, it still manages to strike cords deep within. The first few chapters read like the start of a traditional survival-thriller, but then segues jarringly into science fiction.

The protagonist, Nathan, is thrown into an unfamiliar and dangerous universe. Luckily, he starts out with the advantage of an advanced A.I. helper. From there, he takes mostly deliberate steps to upgrade his, and his ship's capabilities. He finds allies and dedicates himself to an honourable mission, a mission that grows in scope to galactic level by the end of the book.

It's simple fare, but satisfying. The bad guys are very bad and the good guys consistently kick ass. I'm looking forward to a sequel.

[M.J. Konkel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. First off, the author needs to get line editor or good friend to edit it. That are way way too many errors such as missing periods (or run on sentences), quotation marks etc. Use of to to mean too, etc.. From the science side, I was bothered by the mentioning a couple of times of elements not found on Earth. All elements can be found on Earth, although some are rare. The storytelling I liked. I liked the opening portion where he moves to Alaska and starts building a new life for himself. The character development of Nathan and all the others around him was excellent, the story-line was very realistic and believable. Nathan was a very likable character and the writing had a lot of insights. As the story progressed into Nathan's adventures elsewhere in the galaxy, his personality changed and he became less likable. And the story showed less insight and more just shoot up every alien in sight. I will still read more of Mr. Steven's books if he can clean up the errors better since he is a good storyteller.

[Jon Camp · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the premise of the books was interesting, but then the 1st 10% of the book or so could have been handled in a 3-page flashback after establishing the setting on the ship. Despite the glacially slow pacing and gajillions of details about (seemingly) every minute of every waking hour, somehow the MC is always under the gun, always in a rush, always in a panic, never actually thinking things through, and everything good that happens feels like he stumbled into it, not because he actually doing anything to make it happen.

Beyond that, despite this being the 2nd edition, which would inidicate an editing pass, there are still constant spelling errors, typos, malaprops, odd punctuation errors, stilted grammar, and odd syntax on every page. I just kept getting thrown out of what little story there actually was, and finally realized I was slogging through, not looking forward to continuing, so... I didn't finish.

[Roh Bawt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got partway through the second book of this series. It's kind of odd but the writer seems able to set out some interesting characters with great potential but keeps development to a minimum. The first and second seemed to me to be one hard rush from one action sequence to the next. The only minor interlude being the planning session for the next set of Michael Bay experience.

Not saying that has to be an outright bad thing but Id like a little more. And I am very unsure how these characters aren't seeming to feel ANY stress from the near endless pressure they would be under. The passage of time is never too clearly defined except for 3-4 hours of sleep here and there. Some "work cycles" over there. But honestly I have the odd impression that the MC only spends about two weeks in space and lives three lifetimes of war. Just not for me. Maybe its for you? Good luck.

[Wolfgarr · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book needs a good editor. That said. It was a pretty decent read. If it gets a good editing i would recommend it. Even give it 1 more star. Otherwise it is only worth 3.

The story itself was not ..For me at least anything new. It did not have any real surprises in it. Not if you have read much of this type of fiction.

A note. This story end's on a Cliff hanger. So do not expect a finished story. I will give the Author props for the length though. He could have split this up into 2 books. Will read the next book..If it ever comes out.

on a real scale I would rate this as a solid 65 out of 100.
0 being i couldn't finish it. 100 being i would read this more than once. 50 being..Well it was ok.

(Insert rant about how bad Goodreads Rating scale is here)

[Alesay · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF @ 41%. 2.15 stars.

The premise was interesting and held a lot of promise, but the execution ended up falling flat for me. There was a lot of telling rather than showing, and I never felt fully convinced of the MC’s abilities or the overall narrative being presented. The first few chapters were genuinely engaging and had me curious to see where things would go, but once the AI was introduced, there was a noticeable shift in the MC’s behavior that didn’t sit right with me. From that point on, everything started to feel rushed, vague, and lacking depth. I also didn’t care for the black and white perspective the story seemed to push, which made things feel overly simplistic. Overall, this book just wasn’t as complex, layered, or thoughtfully explored as I was hoping it would be.

[Clinton Gann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing first book!!!!!!!

Ok it's been awhile since I've read this exciting of a book. The author really tied the start up easily and then went on a non-stop rampage of action and adventure. He really took time weaving the different events to bring this unique family together. I couldn't stop reading and literally had to force myself to put the Fire down and sleep. It still only took me barely 1.5 days to read and I want more already. This has the beginnings of a wonderfully woven and intriguing space opera that I sincerely hope the author has every intention to making it become an instant classic for sci-fi readers. GO MARK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Ken Derrenbacker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding Story

The first twenty percent of the book has me wondering if I was reading science fiction. I was however rewarded with what ended as a great story. Main characters are solid and likable and as the story developed so apparently did the authors writing style. It is a "save the galaxy" story but, it's fresh, full of action without being over the top leaving plenty of room for character and world building. I really appreciated the morality thread and the comradery he created within his team. Looking forward to the next installment!

[Tim & Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly Recommend!

At first I was wondering if it was really a Sci-fi novel, but then the Space Ship finds him... It was action packed from then on, and I could understand why the build up. It is a great read, and a smooth one, since he does waste time with endless technical explanations, that so many are guilty of. That type carp just starts to bore me and makes want to quit reading. This is one book that is a page, and you do not want to stop until the end. If you are looking for a good Sci-fi book, I highly recommend this one...

[Tess Hamersly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great ride!

This book is a literal and figurative blast. It's an old fashioned space opera pitting good against evil, and woe to whoever stands in our hero's way! Its spirit reminded me a bit of Battlefield Earth (without the creepy Scientology connection) with some classic Louis Lamour in the opening chapters. As others have noted, there is no indication the book was proofread and it contains literally hundreds of punctuation, spelling and syntax errors. Your best bet is to try and ignore these and simply enjoy the fine storytelling.

[Chuck Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great start.

This book was a page turned from the start. I wasn't sure if was a sci-fi for a couple of chapters but then it took off nicely. It would have been nice had the book resolved with our hero going home to shock his family and civilization with his discoveries but then some other cool things happened so I won't ruin things by telling you. Keep up the good work. You're off to a great start!

[Leslie Baptiste · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent start, hopefully a beginning to a new series.

I enjoyed this book, I am joyed the Character development. Good cast of characters very well paced. Just please don't make made then A sexist pig. I have daughters who like science fiction and they would enjoy this series especially if there is a love interest. I think anybody who likes science fiction, first contact, gadgets, guns, and an intriguing story line will enjoy this book.

[Jesse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars may be too much.

While I gave this 5 stars. It may be hard pressed as to why. Other than I liked the story over all and it held my attention. It has a lot of fundamental problems. It would have been better to divide this story into two and deal with the earth aspect and then onto space. The development of the main character seemed rushed and quick. I hope to read on with the story.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Impressive First Offering

I have seen 10th books more poorly written than this one. I was carried along and didn't want to stop. Lots of action, enough drama to tie it all together, and a fair amount of character depth, at least for the protag. The other characters didn't seem as developed, but since the entire story was from the protag's POV, the balance seemed to work just fine.

Looking forward to the next one!